A day in the cellar

Thanks to Joe Davis and Chris Bratcher for the generosity of their time and for their teaching and sharing spirit. I was able to work a day of crush at Arcadian Winery this weekend - my first day of meaningful time in a working winery.

First was a session of pigeage through the various fermenting lots of Arcadian and Bratcher Pinot Noir. This is the traditional foot-treading (as opposed to punch downs) of the grapes submerging the cap of skins and clusters back into the wine. It’s like jumping into quicksand, with the cap quickly giving way to the fermenting juice below. And with about 5-10 minutes in each bin churning about 3 feet worth of wine, it’s hard work. Also depending on the stage of fermentation, it may either be hot or cold on the bins.

The most difficult part of the whole thing though is pulling yourself out of the fermenter, and balancing yourself back onto the ladder without touching the floor, before moving on to the next fermenter. At about the time I got into a groove with all this, I got an audience of guests visiting the winery!

Later it was sorting the previous night’s harvest (Clone 115 from Clos Pepe for Arcadian) of Pinot Noir going into the destemmer. This is looking for poor clusters to sort out- botrytis or green berries. It’s also looking for good looking clusters to separate out and put into the fermenter whole. The free-run juice from the sorting table, and the juice and skins from the destemmer, goes on into the fermenter. The best-looking bins of grapes were spared the de-stemmer and shoveled into the fermenter whole-cluster.

Below are a few pictures I took. Unfortunately no action-shots of the pigeage, but you can get an idea of what I was jumping into.

Getting ready for the pigeage

Taking a break on the forklift while Joe entertains guests

Part of the prior night's harvest

Clone 115 going into the destemmer

Cold-soaking clone 115 pinot noir 

Tasting the heavyweights in Paso Robles

This past weekend was a good time to get to Paso Robles to sample wines from several of its acclaimed producers. I visited tasting rooms of four wineries, all coming off glowing reviews in the recently released edition of the Wine Advocate. And fortunately all had releases to show, as the top end of Paso Robles wine can sometimes be in short supply.

Tablas Creek Vineyard

The Westside of Paso Robles is home to some of the foremost producers of Rhône varietal blends in California. The region is anchored by the esteemed Tablas Creek Vineyard tucked away deep in the hills of Westside Paso. A partnership of the Perrin family of Chateau Beaucastel in Chateauneuf Du Pape and their American importers the Haas family, it can be fairly stated that Tablas Creek is Paso Robles’ truest version of Southern Rhône-style wines. The vineyard was planted on limestone soil familiar to the Southern Rhône Valley, and their resulting red blends are aged in large traditional French oak foudres.

Also emerging on Paso’s Westside have been a number of noteworthy producers such as Saxum, where Justin Smith’s limited production and high scores have rendered them as the “cult winery” of Paso Robles. Names such as L'Aventure, Denner, Booker, Villa Creek, Linne Calodo & Terry Hoage have been similarly lauded. These wineries are making rich and robust wines from mostly Rhône varietals in the bucolic hillsides of Westside Paso Robles around the Templeton Gap. The rocky calcareous soils, hot days with cool nights, and long growing season produces powerful and concentrated wines that have as much in common with Priorat as they do with the Rhône Valley. My visits took me to Terry Hoage Vineyards, Booker Vineyard, Villa Creek Cellars, and Linne Calodo.

Terry Hoage Vineyards

The winery and tasting room at Terry Hoage Vineyards sits atop a hillside overlooking the vineyards. The wines I tasted were all made from estate-grown Rhône varietals ranging from the lively 2011 Picpoul Blanc to several red blends. The reds are named from Hoage’s college and NFL football career. A pair of these so-named 2009’s were my favorites. The 2009 The 46 Grenache/Syrah (named for coach Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense from Hoage’s days with the Philadelphia Eagles) showed nice lavender and mineral notes to balance out the powerful fruit. The 2009 The Hedge Syrah (named for The Hedges at University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium- where Hoage played in college) showed powerful savory depth and length. Choose this link for reviews of all of the wines tasted.

Booker Vineyard

The tasting room at Booker Vineyard is similarly located amongst the winery and vineyards. Eric Jensen’s wines are powerful yet complicated and at times perplexing. The simply named 2010 Booker White is an unfined/unfiltered Roussanne/Viognier blend with partial fermentation on the skins. It's a rich and profound wine that I can’t stop thinking about. The 2010 Booker Oublie Extended Age 22 Months is a blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise and Grenache. It's another cerebrally powerful wine with pinpoint concentration of crushed stone, red fruit, spice and mineral complexity. Choose the link for all of the wines tasted.

Villa Creek Cellars

A visit to Villa Creek Cellars takes you along quiet Peachy Canyon Road back toward downtown Paso Robles. You’re likely to pass wild turkeys along the side of the road while heading out so keep your eyes peeled! A pair of wines from the cool 2009 vintage stood out here. Adding Tempranillo into the mix, the 2009 Mas de Maha (Tempranillo/Grenache/Mourvedre/Carignan) threw down earth and clove with deep black fruit. The 2009 Damas Noir Mourvedre was filled with the long grip of smoke, pepper, anise and black fruit. What I liked at Villa Creek was the liveliness and structure of the wines. Choose the link for all of the wines tasted.

Wild turkeys along Peachy Canyon Road

The Mothership at Linne Calodo

Last stop was through the gates to the impressive cedar-built winery at Linne Calodo. The tasting was limited to three wines, so I counted the excellent 2010 Martyr (a Mourvedre/Syrah/Tannat/ Grenache blend) as two! Here I got layers of wild berries, dried lavender and crushed stone through a polished firm structure. Very nice indeed. Choose the link for all of the wines tasted.

From the best sites and in the right hands, this opulent style of wines in Paso’s Westside show the right touches of balance, several of which left an indelible mark in my memory. I’m interested to see how these wines age and/or hold in the bottle. Both the earliest examples of the more modern style of Saxum, and the more traditional style of Tablas Creek appear to be drinking well at 12 years of age according to recent CellarTracker notes. Some of the wines I tasted this weekend appear to be a worthy bet. 

A taste of Spain in the Central Coast with Verdad Wines

With the lion’s share of acreage and attention devoted to Burgundian and Rhône varietals in California’s southern Central Coast, producers such as Verdad Wines are going against the grain by producing wine from traditional Spanish grapes.

Verdad’s wines are made at the winemaking facility of Qupé Wine Cellars in Santa Maria Valley. It’s literally the spouse-label to Qupé, with wines being made by proprietor Louisa Lindquist. The vineyards include the biodynamically-farmed estate vineyard Sawyer Lindquist in Edna Valley, and the organically farmed Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley. The vision of the wines is true varietal and site expression through balanced fruit and minimal handling in the cellar.

I visited the Qupé/Verdad/Ethan tasting room in Los Olivos and tasted two Verdad wines before buying a third to take home. All three were from the cooler of their two sites, Sawyer Lindquist in the Edna Valley AVA.

The 2011 Verdad Sawyer Lindquist Rosé is 100% Grenache (or Garnacha if you’re in Spain). It features bright fruit throughout with an underlying spice and earthiness, along with nice weight and feel. The earth element adds a nice dimension that you don’t always get in rosé. This is an enjoyable wine at $18.  

The Paragon Vineyard is a 30 acre section of Albariño within the larger Sawyer Lindquist property. It also happens to be the largest planting of Albariño in California. The 2011 Verdad Paragon Albariño shows bright citrus and tropical fruit along with a floral and white pepper depth. It has those whispers of the maritime flavors of Albariño along with a nice opulence. I’d love this with paella. This also sells for $18 with only 100 cases produced.

Verdad’s Tempranillo is grown in both of their sites. The warmer Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley is planted with clones originating in Rioja, while the cooler Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard is planted with clones originating in Ribera Del Duero. The 2009 Verdad Sawyer Lindquist Tempranillo comes from the vineyard’s alluvial soils. Ageing takes place in Hungarian oak rather than the American oak traditionally used in Spain. There are small amounts of Grenache and Syrah in the blend.

Its profile is a mix of earthy, floral and bright cherry fruit with graphite and licorice accents on the palate. The California brightness is balanced with rustic grainy tannins before a lingering finish. Having recently tasted Tempranillo grown in Oregon that was short on varietal character, this was the opposite. It has that unmistakable musty earthy leathery thing going on in Tempranillo. I’d decant this and drink it with anything that says “braised” in the description. Retailing for $30, this is very nicely done.  

Verdad fits the bill if you’re looking for quality Central Coast wine outside the box. Even if you’re content with a steady diet of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah, it’s plenty worth the time. Let’s see if a larger niche is carved as more Central Coast producers experiment with Spanish varietals.

2011 Wine Travels- Paso Robles Top 10

Onward and upward. The same trip in May produced a wonderful afternoon strolling around the Westside hills of Paso Robles. If you've never taken a ride on Vineyard Dr, it's truly one of the great scenic wine country drives in California.

The day included stops at Turley, L'Aventure, Denner, Tablas Creek and Adelaida. Through the day I enjoyed a nice variety of Westside Paso wines and caught plenty of highlights of what the area does well- Syrah, Rhône blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel- below were my 10 favorites:

Click the links for more info on the wines

2007 Adelaida Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Viking Estate Vineyard, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Mineral, tea, floral, and red fruit on the nose. Additional red fruit, tea, lavender, and cedar notes on the palate. Well structured with good weight and feel, grainy tannins, and a long finish. (I really liked!)

2008 Adelaida Syrah Anna’s Vineyard, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Meaty, floral, and blue fruit notes on the nose. Plush fruit, floral, gamey flavors- with lush round tannins and long fruit notes to finish. (I really liked!)

2008 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Cherry, fruitcake, herb, and spice notes on the nose. Beautiful silky feel on the palate with red fruit, mineral, and peppery notes. Firm-fine tannins and a long finish. A lot more to this than tasting room notes can indicate. Outstanding and should develop nicely. (I really liked!)

2010 Tablas Creek Rosé, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Rich red fruit and toffee on the nose. Strawberry and cherry fruit, rich and full, with a nice finish. Excellent rosé. (I really liked!)

2008 Tablas Creek Mourvedre, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Meaty, mineral, red & blue fruit on the notes. Notes of tea, red fruit, and light spice on the palate. Firm round/ripe tannins, and a lengthy finish. (I really liked!)

2009 Denner “The Ditch Digger”, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Tight aromas- mostly cherry and red currant. The palate gives black cherry and mineral notes with rich spice and round tannins. Finishes long. (I really liked!)

2010 Denner Theresa, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Stone fruit and floral nose. Leesy and rich fruit through the palate with a lengthy finish. Very nice. (I really liked!)

2008 L’Aventure Estate Cuvée, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Mineral, tea, black currant, and cherry notes in the bouquet. Full dark fruit along with mineral and toffee notes on the palate. Round firm tannins and good length. (I really liked!)

2005 L’Aventure Optimus, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Cracked pepper, cherry, and dried herbal notes on the nose, leading to darker currant, leather, and graphite notes on the palate. Great feel and structure. Gripping round tannins and a long finish. (I loved!)

2009 Turley Zinfandel Dusi Vineyard, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Blackberry, cherry cola, and spice on the nose. The palate shows additions of red fruit and black tea, with a nice satiny feel. Tannins and round and fine with spice and fruit lingering on the finish. (I really liked!)

Click for more Paso Robles pictures

2011 Wine Travels- Santa Barbara Top 10

This past May I traveled to California and toured multiple areas of the Central and North Coasts. In September I did a second stint out west to the Willamette Valley and Eastern Washington.  I carefully planned producers to see and mapped my areas of interest. The end result was getting to taste some spectacular wine along the way.

As the year ends and I prepare to move from Atlanta to California, I'd like to take a little stroll down memory lane and list my favorite wines from each region that I visited in 2011. These are all wines tasted and notes written while on the road

Starting things off is Santa Barbara County. In Santa Barbara I visited Melville, Fiddlehead, Qupe/Verdad, Foxen, and the Bien Nacido Vineyard. It was a great day that saw my friends and I completely circling Sta. Rita Hills before heading into Los Olivos via Ballard Canyon Road, and then heading up Foxen Canyon Road to Santa Maria Valley. It's interesting that 2011 ended up being such a cool vintage for California, it was very hot in Santa Barbara in early May while I was there, even in the cool-climate Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley areas.

As you can see from the list there were lots of great Syrahs, and the 2009 Pinot Noir vintage was looking pretty good.

My 10 Favorite Santa Barbara wines from the trip-

2008 Foxen Pinot Noir Black 8 Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley

Tasted at Bien Nacido. Pungent bouquet with black fruit, mushroom, and cola. Very bold style continues to the palate. Black fruit, red fruit, mushroom, mineral, cola. Silky but a little hot. Gritty tannins and bold finish. Aggressive but somehow pulls it off- drinks and tastes like Pinot Noir. It's wild- I could see this being profound if it mellowed a little with bottle age. ( I really liked!)

2009 Tyler Pinot Noir N Block Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley

Tasted at Bien Nacido. Cola, plum, apple-cherry, spice- expressive bouquet. Mineral, red fruit, and spice- beautifully balanced with a silky feel, fine tannins, and a long finish. (I really liked!)

2005 Qupé Syrah Bien Nacido Hillside Estate, Santa Maria Valley

Tasting room pour. Gamey nose with plum, raw meat, leather, and olive- awesome. Black peppery fruit with plenty of mineral and savory depth on the palate. Firm tannins and long finish. Excellent. (I really liked!)

2010 Verdad Rosé Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley

Tasted at the winery. Strawberry and peach aromas and flavors throughout. Leesy and rich with good finish. Very nice. (I liked!)

2008 Fiddlehead Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Happy Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley

Tasted at the winery. Lemongrass, apple, toast on the nose- rich and leesy style bold fruit and a long finish. Very nice. (I liked!)

2009 Melville Pinot Noir Carrie's, Sta. Rita Hills

Tasted at the winery. Lots of perfume and floral aromas along with cola, spice, and red fruit. Bright flavors on the palate- fruit, well-integrated spice, subtle earth notes. Great feel. Tannins firmer than past vintages. Big finish. It's all there- can't wait to spend a little more time with this and delve deeper. Very excellent. (I loved!)

2009 Melville Pinot Noir Terraces, Sta. Rita Hills

Tasted at the winery. Aromas are marked with cola, mushroom, earth, and black cherry. Balanced earth, spice, and fruit flavors- bold & intense & elegant at the same time. Lithe structure and feel, fine tannins. Long finish. Excellent. (I really liked!)

2009 Melville Chardonnay Clone 76 Inox Estate, Sta. Rita Hills

Tasted at the winery. Creamy melon & honey aromas. Hits the palate with brightness and strong acid. Lots of green apple/pear/melon, and leesy richness, along a lengthy finish. Very nice. (I really liked!)

2007 Qupé Syrah Purisima Mountain Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley

Tasting room pour. Gamey, leathery, peppery fruit on the nose. Black pepper, black olive, and lush black fruit fill the palate. Smooth silk feel, round tannins, and long finish. Excellent.  (I really liked!)

2009 Foxen Syrah Dry Farmed Tinaquaic, Santa Maria Valley

Tasted at Foxen tasting room. I lost track of my notes for this one, but you have to know it was a big gnarly savory monster- totally awesome. (I loved!)

Link to the photos-

2011- Sans Blog

Damn... what happened? The last time I posted the blog was called "Wineheimer" and it was September of 2010. It's been crazy busy since then with a wine sales job taking most of my time and energy.

2012 will bring a new location and hopefully the time and energy to post again. I'm relocating to Santa Barbara CA, and hopefully will be posting wine blogs in the new location from a new perspective. I'm no longer in the wine business, so I feel comfortable relaunching the blog from the perspective of a wine enthusiast and overall superfan!

In the meantime I'm posting a photo recap of my highlights of 2011.  The links below are photos from my vineyard travels of 2011... Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Monterey, Napa, Sonoma, Willamette Valley, Columbia Valley. If you like vineyard pictures ad nauseum you'll want to check these out.

SANTA BARBARA 2011

PASO ROBLES 2011

MONTEREY, SAN BENITO, SANTA CRUZ

NAPA VALLEY

SONOMA COUNTY

MORE NAPA VALLEY

WILLAMETTE VALLEY 1

WILLAMETTE VALLEY 2

WALLA WALLA VALLEY

CHATEAU CHAMPOUX (please note that my team won the grape stomping championship!) and RED MOUNTAIN